By Staff and Wire Reports of Global Golf Post

While some people may have found it curious that Justin Rose bypassed the European Tour’s flagship event – the BMW Championship in his native England – it was hard to argue with the result.

Rose, who opted to play the Fort Worth Invitational because of a PGA Tour rule that stipulates a member must compete in at least one tournament in which he has not played in the past four years, was dominant in the Texas heat, moving himself closer to the world No. 1 ranking while also enhancing his place among the favorites when the U.S. Open is played at Shinnecock Hills next month.

Though Webb Simpson and Tiger Woods drew most of the attention in the final round of the recent Players Championship, Rose signaled what was coming by finishing with seven birdies in his final 10 holes that Sunday at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course.

Rose said he and coach Sean Foley made swing tweaks about a year ago, made minor adjustments recently and the changes now have embedded themselves in his swing. Rose had a brilliant run at the end of 2017, finishing the calendar year with 10 consecutive top-10 finishes including a comeback victory ahead of Dustin Johnson in the WGC-HSBC Championship in China.

“I’m delighted with the way I played,” said Rose, who missed tying the tournament record by one stroke. “This is something for me to build on. I feel like I still have an upside. This week was a big step in the right direction, taking the range game to the course. There’s still more work to be done.”

The victory is Rose’s ninth on the PGA Tour, tying Nick Faldo for the most wins by an Englishman since such records began in 1983.

Brooks Keopka’s runner-up result was his best finish since he missed approximately three months with a wrist injury and follows a T11 at the Players Championship.

Driver: TaylorMade M3 440 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK 70TX

3 wood: TaylorMade M4 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK 80TX

5 wood: TaylorMade M3 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK 80TX

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4 iron), TaylorMade P730 Rose Proto (5-9 iron)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper 125 S+

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48, 52, 56 degrees), TaylorMade Hi-Toe (60 degrees) Shafts: KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 135X

Putter: TaylorMade TP Ardmore 2

Golf Ball: TaylorMade TP5

Grips: Lamkin REL ACE

Republished with permission from Global Golf Post